Closure device



June a, 1943. w. c. TERRY 2,321,333 4 CLOSURE DEVICE Filed Jan. 2'7,1941 Patented June 8, 1943 FFEQ CLOSURE DEVICE William (3. Terry,Cambridge, Mass, assignor to Harriet E. Cole, Taunton, Mass.

Application January 27, 1941, Serial No. 376,066

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a device adapted to :make a discharge openingin atube and also close it, and which also serves as a spreader of thematerial discharged from said tube.

Tubes that contain adhesives such as household cement, rubber cement andthe like, are commonly sealed or permanently closed at their dischargeend when the consumer obtains them. This closed end must first bepunctured to provide an opening through which to obtain the adhesive insaid tube, and it is my object to provide a closure device that hasmeans to pierce said closed end and which also may serve as a readilyremovable stopper to prevent involuntary discharge of said cement. Saidmeans is adapted to serve a double purpose as it can extend into saiddevice with said piercing end on the outside or on the inside asdesired, depending upon conditions;

Another object is to make said device of a simple construction that canbe used in association with various kinds of tubes and that embodies anefficient spreader portion.

The foregoing and other objects will appear as the nature of theinvention is better understood,

maybe accomplished by a construction, combina tion and arrangement ofparts such as is disclosed by the drawing and specification. The natureof the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changesand modifications, and, therefore, I am not to be limited to saiddisclosure; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall withinthe scope of my claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a tube with my closure deviceattached thereto.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 3; butshowing the stopper member in the same position as in Figure 1 beforethe closed end of said tube has been punctured.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, broken away, of said tube anddevice with the piercing end of the stopper member extending into theopening it has made in the closed end of said tube.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the applicator member of my device,while Figure 5 is a perspec tive view of the stopper member that fits insaid applicator member.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of modified forms of saidapplicator member and stopper member respectively.

As illustrated, a tube or container 9 of the kind commonly used tocontain an adhesive, has the usual screw-threaded neck portion 5aterminating in an end l9 that is closed or sealed when the consumerobtains it. It is shown after it has been pierced, in Figure 3 of thedrawing, thereby providing a discharge opening for the adhesive to passout of said tube 9.

My closure device consists of an applicator member H having interiorscrew threads 12 to enable it to be removably attached to said neckportion 8a of the tube 9. Said applicator II has a hollow sleeve portionl3 and a spreader portion it. A slot l5 extends through said spreaderportion-l l and communicates with the opening in said sleeve portion It.

A stopper member IT has a closure portion 2!) preferably terminating ina sharpened end l8 and has a round cap portion 19 at the other end. Saidslot is of a size sulficiently large to receive any part of said closureportion 20; but not said cap portion E9. The latter overlaps on twosides of said spreader portion 14 while other parts of said spreaderportion l4 overlaps said cap portion I8.

Before said tube 9 is used, and as. it appears when it is placed onsale, said stopper member I? is within said applicator member ll in theposition illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing,

and it cannot be removed unless said applicator member M is unscrewedfrom said tube 9. It is kept in this position before said tube sealedend Ill is pierced, and also when carrying said tube in a pocket or thelike after it is pierced, as in this position said stopper member I!cannot come out or be withdrawn and the adhesive in the tube 9 cannotescape.

When first using said tube 9, the parts are in the position shown inFigure 1 of the drawing.

Said applicator member II is unscrewed there- H! of the tube 9. Whenpreparing to discharge adhesive said stopper member I! is firstwithdrawn and the adhesive passes through said slot 15. The saidspreader portion 14 can be used to spread or apply the adhesive. Toclose the opening in said tube 9 said stopper member I? is ordinarilyinserted through said slot l5sharpened end first-to the position shownin Figure 3 of the drawing, and kept there, where it can readily beremoved because said cap I9 projects over two edges of said spreaderportion I 4, thereby providing a good grasping surface.

In Figure 6 I have shown said applicator member provided with a roundhole 22' instead of a slot, in which event the stopper member usedterminates in a pointed end 24, and has a round closure portion 25 and around cap portion 26, as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawing.

What I claim is:

l. A closure device comprising an applicator member having an openingextending therethrough embodying a slot and having an elongated topsurface, and a stopper member embodying an oblong-shaped closure portionadapted to extend into said slot, said stopper member also embodying acap portion that overlaps said slot and the outside end of saidapplicator at its narrower portion while a portion of said applicatormember elongated top sur face overlaps said cap portion.

2. A closure device comprising an applicator member embodying a roundhollow sleeve portion and an oblong-shaped spreader portion having anoblong-shaped slot extending therethrough in communication with theopening in said sleeve portion, and a stopper member embodying a capportion and an oblong-shaped closure portion, said cap portion beinglarger than said spreader portion slot so that it cannot enter thereinbut smaller than said hollow sleeve .opening whereby it can enter saidsleeve opening, said closure portion being longer than said spreaderportion and smaller than said spreader portion opening whereby it isadapted to extend through said spreader portion into said sleeveportion.

3. A closure device comprising an applicator member embodying a roundhollow sleeve por-' tion and a spreader portion having an oblongshapedsurface at its outer end and having an opening extending therethrough incommunication with the opening in said sleeve portion the Wider portionof said spreader portion flaring outwardly towards its outside end andthe narrower portion being of less width than said sleeve portion, anda'stopper member embodying a cap portion and a closure portion adaptedto extend through said spreader portion opening, said cap portion beinglarger than spreader portion opening but smaller than said hollow sleeveopening whereby it can enter said sleeve opening but not said spreaderportion opening, said closure portion being longer than said spreaderportion whereby it is adapted to extend through said spreader portioninto said sleeve portion.

4. In combination, a tube and a closure device therefor, said tubeembodying a neck portion having a sealed outside end, said closuredevice embodying a hollow sleeve portion adapted to be attached to, andextend downwardly outside of said neck portion and a spreader portionhav ing an opening extending therethrough in communication with theopening in said sleeve portion, and a stopper member embodying a capportion and a closure portion having a sharpened end extremity, said capportion being larger than said spreader portion opening but smaller thansaid sleeve opening whereby it can enter said sleeve opening but notsaid spreader portion opening, said closure portion being longer thansaid spreader portion whereby said sharpened end extremity is adapted toextend into said neck portion sealed end.

5. In combination, a tube, and a closure device therefor, said tubeembodying a neck portion having a sealed outside end, said closuredevice embodying a hollow sleeve portion adapted to be attached to andextending downwardly outside of said neck portion, and a spreaderportion having an opening extending therethrough in communication withthe opening in said sleeve portion, and a stopper member embodying a capportion and a closure portion having a sharpened end extremity, said capportion being larger than said spreader portion opening but smaller thansaid sleeve opening whereby it can enter said sleeve opening but notsaid spreader portion opening, said closure portion being longer thansaid spreader portion but shorter than the combined length of saidsleeve and spreader portions and long enough for said sharpened endextremity to extend into said neck portion sealed end.

6. In combination, a tube and a closure device therefor,- said tubeembodying aneck portion having a sealed outside end, said closure deviceembodying a hollow sleeve portion of substantially the same depthadapted to be attached to and extend downwardly outside of said neckportion substantially its entire depth, and a spreader portion having anopening extending therethrough in communication with the opening in saidsleeve portion, and a stopper member embodyig a cap portion and aclosure portion having a sharpened end extremity, said cap portion beinglarger than said spreader portion opening but smaller than said sleeveopening whereby it can enter said sleeve opening but not said spreaderportion opening and being of substantially the same width as the outsideend of said neck portion, said closure portion being longer than saidspreader portion whereby said sharpened end extremity is adapted toextend into said neck portion sealed end.

7. A closure device for a tube comprising an applicator member embodyingan upper portion having a rectangularly-shaped opening extendingtherethrough and a round lower portion having an opening extendingtherethrough in communication with and larger than said upper portionopening, and a stopper member embodying a cap portion and arectangularly-shaped closure portion having an end extremity that isadapted to pierce the sealed end of a tube, said closure portion beingsmaller in cross section than and also longer than said upper portionopening whereby it can extend through and beyond it, said cap portionbeing smaller than said lower portion opening whereby it can fit into itand being larger than said upper portion opening whereby it cannot enterit.

WILLIAM c. TERRY.

